Starlight and a Sea of Trees
by Zetor
Summary: Pacifica's having a hard time getting away from her family name. Can Dipper help her finally get a second chance?
1. Starlight and a Sea of Trees

Dipper Pines carefully ducked out behind his sister, trusting her to distract the large group gathered around them with exaggerated tales of the past school year. Hopefully she wouldn't say anything too embarrassing. It was weird; he'd been waiting all year to get back to Gravity Falls while Mabel had thrived in school, but now that he was actually here he still felt out of place.

It wasn't that he wasn't glad to see everyone. He was excited to catch up with his friends from last summer, just in a less crowded setting. He wasn't used to being the center of attention. Back in California, he had a couple of people he hung out with occasionally, but he wouldn't really call them friends. Mostly, he just spent his time researching, at least when Mabel wasn't dragging him off somewhere.

He grabbed some punch and made his way over to the wall to take in the party. It was quite an event, the kind you'd only find in Gravity Falls. The Northwest's mansion, no, McGuckit's mansion, was filled with what must have been half the town, not to mention several of the creatures from the surrounding area.

"What's the matter, can't take the spotlight?" a caustic female voice said from his side.

Dipper jumped, having been too lost in thought to notice anyone approach. Looking to his left, he found himself involuntarily blushing. Puberty had been kind to Pacifica Northwest. Where he was just a gangly mess with curly hair who fought a daily battle with acne, she was a vision; trim and fit, with smooth golden hair and legs that seemed to go on forever. A simple knee length blue dress brought out the color of her eyes, and complimented her new figure.

"Do I need to repeat myself slower for you, Pines?" she asked in a mocking tone.

"No! I just, uh, needed a break, y'know?" Dipper answered, cursing the small crack in his voice.

"Sure," Pacifica said with a smirk, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well what are _you_ doing hanging out in the corner?" Dipper accused, regaining his feet.

"I-I just didn't want to hang out with all those weirdos," Pacifica said, a barely perceptible blush coloring her cheeks. After a pause, she asked, "So, I guess I should ask how your year was?"

Dipper looked down at his drink, swirling it in his hand. "You know. School, homework; lather, rinse, repeat. I bet you had a great year. You were probably the queen of the school."

Pacifica looked away, glancing over the ballroom pensively. Turning back to Dipper, she asked, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

Dipper was surprised at the almost pleading look on Pacifica's face, and looked back over the crowd himself, still feeling uncomfortable with the number of people. "I guess. Where are we going?"

"Just follow me," Pacifica said, taking Dipper's hand and pulling him down one of the mansion's many winding hallways. After a number of twists and turns that he tried to memorize as best he could, they arrived at a secluded balcony patio with an amazing view overlooking a sea of trees. As they walked outside, a warm breeze caught Pacifica's hair, causing it to shimmer in the starlight.

"So why did you want to come out here? It's not like you to shy away from a crowd."

Pacifica walked out to the railing, a sad smile on her face. "I used to love this place. It was probably my favorite spot in the whole mansion." She turned her gaze down. "Mother and Father never came out here; I'm not even sure they knew about it. I don't think we ever used half this place."

Dipper walked out and stood next to her, leaning on the railing and looking out at the forest he'd spent the last summer exploring. "It's beautiful."

Still looking down, Pacifica said, "My school year hasn't exactly been the reign of popularity you're thinking it was."

Still looking over the trees, Dipper scoffed. "Come on, you're Pacifica Northwest. Popular is what you do."

"Not anymore," Pacifica said with a surprising amount of bitterness. She crushed the paper cup in her hand and threw it out over the balcony where it disappeared into the trees. "Apparently when the everyone finds out your father tried to make a deal with the evil triangle that turned the town into hell, no amount of money can make you popular. Not that we have that much left anyway."

Dipper turned to Pacifica in shock. "But you fought him! You were one of the last ones to not give up!"

Pacifica looked up, tears streaming down an anguished face. "How many people do you think know that? How many people were still there at the end, Dipper? Candy and Grenda are decent to me, but we'll never be friends, not after what a bitch I used to be."

"But... That's not..." Dipper stammered.

Pacifica wiped away her tears and put a hand on Dipper's arm. "It's alright. It's just how things are. I'm not even sure why I told you."

Before he even realized he was doing it, Dipper reached out and pulled Pacifica close against his chest, his long arms encircling her body. Mouth next to her ear, he firmly said, "It's _not_ alright."

Pacifica's shoulders shook and she started to cry in earnest, her tears staining Dipper's shirt. He awkwardly held her and rubbed her back until she finished. In a choked voice, she whispered, "I think about it sometimes."

Dipper pulled back to see her face without letting go completely. "What?" he asked, concerned.

Pacifica smiled and blushed. "The last time you held me like this."

Dipper returned her smile, looking into her reddened eyes. "You paid me not to tell anyone."

"Not this time," Pacifica said, leaning her head against his chest.

Dipper tightened his grip on Pacifica and stroked her silky hair. "I'm gonna make this right. You're not going through another year of that."

"Dipper..." Pacifica said into his chest, the protest in her voice betrayed by hope.

With a laugh he said, "Hey, I needed a project for this summer anyway."

Pacifica pushed her way out of Dipper's embrace and sarcastically said, "Glad I could give you something to do this summer."

Dipper's face fell and he started to panic. "Wait, I didn't mean—"

Pacifica' face quickly shifted to a playful smile. "I was kidding you dork. Come on, let's get back to the party before your sister freaks out and sics her pig on us."

"Um, right," Dipper said, unsure of what he had just gotten himself into.

* * *

 **So,**

 **This is just a weird little idea that popped into my head. Not sure where it came from, but I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere. Consider it a one-shot I guess, regardless of what it might seem.**

 **It's my first fic in a fandom outside of Daria, so comments would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Reunions on the Dancefloor

The walk back to the party was much slower than when Pacifica had dragged Dipper out to the balcony, but she still held his hand the whole way. Her hand was warm and soft, and Dipper had to will his own to not start sweating. At the entrance to the ballroom, Pacifica stopped and let go.

Looking nervously down the hall toward the party, she said, "I think I'm going to head home."

"Really? I was kind of hoping to talk a little more. Maybe I could walk you—" Dipper was cut off as a familiar pink blur rushed past him and glomped onto Pacifica.

"Pacifica!" Mable shouted with a level of unbridled enthusiasm Dipper had only ever seen his sister display. "I haven't seen you all night. Have you been hiding from me?"

"There is such a thing as being fashionably late, not that _you_ would understand," Pacifica said, managing to maintain an air of superiority while trying to try to pry Mabel off her.

"That's silly. If you're late you miss some of the party."

"Um, Mabel," Dipper interjected, "I think Pacifica may need to breathe."

"What?" Mabel asked, finally noticing the squirming girl in her arms. She quickly released her ex-rival and blushed, "Whoops! Sorry, I was just so happy to see you. I thought you hadn't come."

"I almost didn't, but I figured I owed it to you for helping to save the world or whatever," Pacifica explained, looking away.

"Well, whatever. I'm just glad you're here," Mabel said with a big brace-less grin. "You look great, by the way. I love your dress, totally classy. What do you think of mine?" Mabel gave a twirl, causing her overly elaborate pink floor length dress to flare out.

"It's very… pink," Pacifica said, clearly trying very hard not to be critical.

Mabel laughed. "Thanks!" she said with an elaborate curtsey. "So how—"

Before Mabel could finish her question, Soos's voice came on over the speakers, "Yo, dudes! It's me, Mr. Mystery, but tonight you can call me DJ Soos! I'm gonna lay down some sick beats, so get ready to dance."

"Wow, Soos's DJing has really improved from last year. He's not even reading out of a book," Dipper observed, surprised.

"He, like, holds parties at the Mystery Shack once a month now," Pacifica explained, quickly adding, "not that I would go to a loser party like that." Dipper felt a tinge of anger at the residents of Gravity Falls, realizing why Pacifica really wouldn't go to the parties.

Mabel's face twisted up in confusion. "But you went to the one last year—"

"Um, Mabel, shouldn't you be out there dancing?" Dipper interrupted, trying to change the subject.

Mabel's face lit up. "We _all_ should. Come on!" Mabel said grabbing Dipper and Pacifica's hands and dragging them out onto the floor.

Dipper tried to resist, but couldn't fight his sister's freakish strength. Looking across from him, he saw Pacifica in much the same situation, her mask faltering and letting a little fear show through. Dipper barely even noticed when Mabel stopped and said something.

She elbowed him and spoke again. "Dipper," she shouted over the music, "I said there's Wendy. You should go dance with her; you're actually tall enough now."

Dipper looked at where she was pointing and saw his former crush. He couldn't help but smile. Unlike most of the girls at the formal party, she'd forgone a dress and was wearing black slacks and a tuxedo print t-shirt. Seeing Pacifica out of the corner of his eye, he shook himself and turned to his sister. "Look, Mabel, Pacifica and I were just about to go home—"

"Come on Dipper, just one song. You haven't even said hi to her yet tonight," Mabel pleaded, pouting as hard as she could.

Dipper looked back and forth between his twin and the girl he'd been spending the evening getting to know. Pacifica eventually dismissively waved him off, saying, "Just go dance." She nodded to Mabel. "She won't stop until you do."

Dipper reluctantly made his way over to Wendy. As he approached, she saw him and met him halfway. Swinging a hand in for a high five, she said, "Dude, where've you been? You disappeared before I could even say hi."

Dipper met her hand and they traded grips. "Yeah, sorry; I'm not really one for big crowds," he explained, glancing around the room and finding Pacifica dancing awkwardly with Mabel. "I kind of ducked out to explore the mansion."

Wendy laughed and started moving to the music. "That is so you, man. Find anything cool?"

Dipper awkwardly tried to match her movements, made more difficult by his glances at Pacifica. "Maybe," he answered thoughtfully.

"So who's the girl?"

Dipper almost tripped over his own foot. "W-what are you talking about? What girl. There's no girl."

Wendy smirked. "Come on, you've been looking over my shoulder with that same look you gave me all last summer the whole time we've been dancing. A girl could get offended."

Dipper glanced down and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I guess I'm a bit preoccupied."

Wendy poked Dipper in the chest. "You didn't answer my question. Who's the lucky girl?"

"It's not like that; I'm just worried about her."

"Uh-huh," Wendy said, disbelieving. "You do realize I'll figure it out as soon as I turn around, right?"

Dipper sighed, dropping his head. He would never hear the end of this. "It's Pacifica."

"Okay, fine, don't tell me," Wendy said dismissively.

"No, really. She—" Dipper stopped mid-sentence when he saw one of Pacifica's old cronies walking toward Pacifica and Mabel. As fast as he could, he said, "Sorry, I've got to go. This has been fun. See you later," and took off towards the girls.

Behind him, he heard a confused "What?" from the lumberjack's daughter.

Dipper reached Pacifica and Mabel just in time to watch what he was hoping to prevent. The brunette girl with the bob haircut and big hoop earrings had just started talking to them. She addressed Mabel, "You might not know this, but you really shouldn't be hanging out with _her_." Dipper saw Pacifica tense up.

Mable giggled awkwardly. "Um, why not? Pacifica's nice now."

"She's a _Northwest_. They're, like, the worst. They've lied, cheated, and stolen from everyone forever." The girl leaned forward, and in a faux whisper said, "Her father made a deal with that _thing_ that made everything go crazy _._ "

She didn't talk about it a lot, but Dipper knew Mabel still blamed herself for Bill getting out. Seeing someone else hurt because of it cut into her. Dipper cursed under his breath as he watched both Mabel and Pacifica' faces contort in guilt and pain.

He stepped up, looked the girl in the eye and said, "You need to leave, _now_."

"What's the big deal? Aren't you the one who exposed them?"

Dipper felt his gut twist. Louder than he'd intended, he yelled, "She's not like them! She fought with us at the end while you were all still frozen. She's a hero!"

The girl looked at him with derision. "Pacifica Northwest, a hero? Yeah right." She sneered at Mabel, who looked almost catatonic. "I guess what they say is true; you Pines really are freaks. I'm getting out of this loser party." With that, she turned and left.

As soon as she was gone, Pacifica snapped out of whatever paralysis had been holding her and bolted away. Dipper started to follow, but stopped when he saw that his sister was still out of it. As he helplessly watched Pacifica disappear into the crowd, a hand clapped down on his shoulder and from behind him Wendy said, "Don't worry, I've got Mable. Go get her, dude."

Without a moment's hesitation, Dipper took off after Pacifica.

* * *

 **Uh,**

 **I guess this wasn't a one-shot after all. Still not sure how far I'll take it, but I do have some ideas.**

 **I edited the first chapter a bit to fit with the overall story, but there's nothing essential that you need to reread to understand.**

 **Thanks for the comments. More are always good, but just enjoying and reading is good too.**


	3. You're Mine Now

Dipper hurriedly pushed his way through the crowded ballroom, apologizing to the guests he bumped into as he went. After nearly tripping over a gnome, ducking under a manotaur, and breaking up several dancing couples, he finally burst through the front door and into the warm fresh air of the mansion's courtyard. He glanced around, trying to find Pacifica among the guests loitering in the dimly lit outdoor space, desperately hoping he hadn't missed her. Just as he was about to give up, a familiar sleeveless blue dress caught his eye.

Pacifica was sitting alone on an ornate bench in the corner of the courtyard, half-hidden in shadow. As Dipper approached, she looked up with a small pout and asked, "What took you so long?"

"Oh, so I'm expected now?" Dipper responded defiantly, but with a touch of playfulness, as he sat down next to Pacifica.

"Yes," Pacifica answered haughtily, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "I've decided you're mine now."

"You know, I think I can live with that," Dipper said with a smile, interlacing his fingers with hers. Once again he wondered what he was getting himself into, but resigned himself to not having much choice in the matter. For some reason, he just couldn't say no to her. Carefully, he asked, "Are you okay? What that girl said…"

Pacifica sighed. "I'll be fine. It's hardly the first time Lynn has pulled that. It was having her say it in front of you and your sister that freaked me out." She took her head off of Dipper's shoulder to look him in the face, her eyes concerned. "What happened to her? Is she going to be okay?"

Dipper hesitated and looked away. "I don't really want to go into detail, but let's just say Mabel has some issues with what happened at the end of last summer. She may be a little clingy around you for a while."

"More clingy than when she tried to smother me with that pink monstrosity earlier? _That's_ something to look forward to." Pacifica said sarcastically.

"Try living with her," Dipper said with a laugh.

"Ugh," Pacifica intoned in response, a shiver running through her body.

"So I guess this is the part where I walk you home?" Dipper asked, surprised at how disappointed he sounded.

"I'd _really_ rather not see my parents right now," Pacifica said, looking down.

"I'm guessing going back into the party is out."

"Congratulations on your grip of the obvious," Pacifica said sarcastically.

"So what _do_ you want to do?" Dipper asked a little defensively.

"I don't know," Pacifica said, clearly fishing for suggestions.

They sat in silence for a moment while Dipper thought. "I have an idea, but you might not like it…"

Pacifica looked up at Dipper and leveled a flat gaze at him. "You might be a little cooler than I thought you were, but I'm not going monster hunting with you or whatever."

Dipper held up his hands in front of him reassuringly. "No monsters, I promise. Well, probably. We definitely won't be looking for them."

Pacifica tapped her foot impatiently and rolled her hand. "Get to the point. "

Dipper took a breath, and explained, "There's this really special, beautiful spot in the woods I'd like to show you. I haven't shown it to anyone else. I promise you won't be disappointed."

Pacifica sat in thought for a moment. Just when Dipper was about to give up, she stood up and said, "This had better be worth it."

* * *

 **Hey,**

 **So, this one is short. Sorry about that. It was originally going to be part of the next chapter, but I decided to split them up, hopefully you'll understand why. As a happy consequence, the next chapter should be up very soon.**

 **Read and review, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill. Thanks for reading and enjoy yourselves!**


	4. New Friends in Hidden Places

"Ow!" cried Pacifica, as a sharp tree branch slashed a small gash into her upper arm. Stopping in place, she said, "That's it. This _can't_ be worth it. Besides it's so dark, there's no way you know where you're going."

"I swear, it's only a few more minutes." Dipper glanced around the forest surrounding them. "I think."

"You _think?_ " Pacifica demanded, balling her fists at her sides.

"What do you want, it's been a year!" he said back more harshly than he'd intended. Sighing and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he pulled off his suit jacket and helped her into it. "There, no more scratches. Just give me ten more minutes and I promise I'll find it."

Pacifica pulled Dipper's jacket close around her and gave a small sniff, a tiny smile forming on her face. Almost too quietly to be heard, she said, "It smells like you."

"Um," Dipper muttered uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to that.

Pacifica laughed at his discomfort, but not cruelly. Her smile widened and she said, "Fine, but only five."

"Huh?" Dipper responded, still confused from their last exchange.

"Five more minutes," Pacifica said like it was obvious, "and the clock's ticking."

"Right. Got it," Dipper said, almost tripping over himself as he redoubled his efforts to find their destination. A few minutes into his time limit, he knew he was close. He could feel himself being watched. Looking over at Pacifica, he could see she was feeling it too. Pushing back the sleeve of the overlong jacket, he took her hand and said, "It's alright, it doesn't want to hurt us. It's just curious."

"You said no monsters," Pacifica said firmly with a touch of fear.

"It's not a monster. It's… Just come a little further. You'll see."

Pacifica gripped his hand a little tighter, but didn't stop walking. "I suppose it would be a waste to come this far and not see whatever it is you've been going on about. It better be good though, or you're in big trouble."

Less than a minute later the woods started to thin and the crash of water could be heard in the distance. Soon a small glade about the size of a basketball court could be seen through the trees. It was breathtaking. One of Gravity Fall's cliffsides made up the far side of the clearing, a modest waterfall crashing down the side. Boulders around the base of the fall created a small pool of crystal clear water, a small stream trickling out and into the forest through a field of soft green grass.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, an awestruck Pacifica said, "Dipper, this is beautiful," her voice devoid of it's usual hard edge.

Dipper smiled; it was the first time she'd used his name all night. "I told you. This is nothing though. Just wait." He reluctantly let go of her hand, then knelt down and began to take off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Pacifica asked, her usual manner quickly returning.

"Take off your socks and shoes; I think the contact helps," Dipper said without further explanation, placing his shoes just outside the glade.

"Helps what? I'm not going to—" Pacifica started, stopping when Dipper looked up at her insistently, his eyes asking her to trust him. Pacifica rolled her eyes. "You're nuts, you know that?" She started to pull off her shoes and carefully place them on the ground. To herself, she added, "I guess I am too."

Once they were both barefoot, Dipper took Pacifica's hand again. "Alright, let's do this," he said as they stepped into the clearing.

The moment their bare feet touched the soft grass the feeling of being watched multiplied a hundredfold. It was followed by a strange sensation. It was as if someone was trying to communicate, but with emotions instead of words. Dipper felt the happiness of meeting an old friend impressed upon him and replied, "It's good to see you too."

Pacifica clamped on to his arm and whispered, "What's going on? I just felt like I saw a new shade of lipstick for the first time."

Dipper laughed. "It's just curious. It's never met you before. You're something new."

" _What's_ never met me, Pines?" Pacifica whispered urgently.

Dipper felt a sense of worry, like he'd just hurt Mabel's feelings. Looking across the clearing, he said, "Don't worry you didn't hurt her feelings, she just a little startled." Turning to Pacifica, still clinging to his arm, he explained, "It's the glade. I think it's a genius loci."

Pacifica looked at him like he was an idiot. "You know I don't speak weirdo."

Dipper laughed self-consciously, blushing a bit. "A genius loci. It's like… a spirit of the land. It's an area that has a personality, in this case the glade. They're supposed to be really powerful, although I haven't seen this one do anything but communicate."

Pacifica released her grip on Dipper's arm. "It talks by making you feel things," she said in understanding.

"Exactly!" Dipper said excitedly, glad Pacifica was picking things up.

Crossing her arms and staring at him, Pacifica cocked an eyebrow and said, "And you didn't think to tell me this _before_ I stepped in here?"

Dipper looked down in embarrassment, the feeling only enhanced by a sense of laughing at someone coming from the glade. "Sorry. I, um, thought it would be a cool surprise?"

Pacifica chuckled, "You wouldn't know cool if it hit you on the head." Seeing Dipper's face fall, she shyly added, "It's part of what makes you so cute." She walked over to the pool and looked at her reflection. "Thank you. You are too," she said, presumably responding to the genius loci.

"What did it say?" Dipper asked eagerly.

"She said I was beautiful," Pacifica said haughtily.

"She?"

"Well she's definitely too beautiful to be a guy," Pacifica stated matter-of-factly.

"Pacifica, it's a genius loci. It's probably been here hundreds or even thousands of years. You can't just assign it a gender." In response, there was a feeling of exasperation like someone was rolling their eyes.

Pacifica smiled down at her reflection. "See, she agrees with me."

Dipper started to respond, but was left with his mouth hanging open when he spotted a female figure emerging from the waterfall at the edge of the pool. At first he wasn't sure, but once it cleared the spray of the fall there was no doubt. It was Pacifica, or at least a watery replica. Once he regained his voice, Dipper cautiously said, "Pacifica, move away from the pool."

Pacifica looked up from fixing her hair in her reflection and paled as she saw her double. Slowly backing away, she said, "I thought you said she didn't do anything but talk."

"It, _she_ , doesn't," Dipper said in disbelief as the figure walked across the pool toward Pacifica.

"I'm pretty sure this counts as something," Pacifica snapped, still backing away.

Before Dipper could say anything back, he was brought to his knees as a tremendous wave of loneliness, stronger than any he'd ever felt, tore through him. To his astonishment, Pacifica stood where she was wearing a look of understanding. He watched in shock as Pacifica stopped retreating from the pool and started to move toward her double. In a harsh whisper, he asked, "Pacifica, what are you doing?"

Pacifica reached the edge of the pool at the same time as her watery twin. Softly she said, "She's just lonely. I… get that."

The figure took off it's copy of Dipper's jacket, which turned to mist as she discarded it, and gestured for Pacifica to do the same. Pacifica slowly took off the jacket and dropped it in the grass, revealing the cut on her arm. The double reached out and placed a transparent hand on Pacifica's wound. There was a dim glow and the cut closed, new skin growing and healing in an instant. When it was done, there was no scar or any indication that there had been an injury at all.

"Um, thanks," Pacifica said with a mix of appreciation and wonder as she rubbed the skin where the cut had been seconds ago. She stared at her double for a moment, then nodded. Turning to Dipper, she asked, "This might sound kind of weird, but do you mind if Alice and I talk for a while?"

"Alice?" Dipper asked, the odd request snapping him out of his racing thoughts about the genius loci and what else it might be able to do.

"Well, she needs a name and she did kind of come through a mirror."

To say Dipper was frustrated would be an understatement. He'd tried everything to get this thing to show its powers after he found it last summer, and now Pacifica just waltzed in and it started showing off. Dipper threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine. You have a girl chat with the powerful ancient entity; I'll just be over in the corner picking up acorns."

As Dipper started to stalk away, Pacifica hurried after him and grabbed his arm. Once he stopped, she leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Dipper. She really needs this and… so do I. I think she knew that."

"Um, yeah," Dipper said, blushing furiously and feeling like an ass. His frustration from a moment ago was a distant memory. "No problem. I'll just be over there. Come get me when you're ready to go."

After Pacifica let go of his arm and headed back to the pool, Dipper made his way over to the edge of the glade, trying to get out of earshot to respect Pacifica's privacy. He sat back in the grass watching Pacifica and her double, or rather, Alice. He couldn't help feeling a bit jealous seeing Pacifica talk so animatedly with Alice, but far more than that, he was happy for the two of them. The glade had apparently found a kindred spirit, and while this wasn't a solution to Pacifica's problem, at least now she had someone to talk to that understood some of what she was going through. Laying back to gaze up at the stars, Dipper felt a sincere feeling of gratitude from the glade and smiled.

* * *

 **Here we go,**

 **So this one is a little different. This is Gravity Falls, there's gonna be some supernatural stuff. There's also gonna be a plot beyond romance. Sorry if that's not your thing. Don't worry though, there's still plenty of Dipifica, just a few other things as well.**

 **Hopefully I can pull this off, I haven't really played with supernatural action stuff that much in my other fics, so this is kind of an experiment for me. Hopefully you'll stick around for the ride and we'll find out together.**

 **The next part may take a bit as I have midterms for a couple of weeks. We'll see, maybe I won't be able to help myself.**

 **As always, thanks so much for reading. Reviews are great, but just knowing someone is reading what you're creating is something in and of itself.**


	5. Bad Dreams and Summer Projects

Dipper was exhausted by the time he made it back to his Grunkles' cabin. His Grunkle Ford had commissioned their new home when he and Grunkle Stan had left for their adventures in the Arctic Ocean, knowing that neither brother could ever really leave Gravity Falls. The large cabin was located just a bit deeper into the woods than the Mystery Shack, still on the property Ford had bought years ago.

Dipper opened the front door as quietly as he could. He knew he would have to deal with his grunkles eventually, but he was exhausted and would rather wait until morning when they'd all had a chance to get some sleep. After carefully closing the door behind him, he tiptoed upstairs toward his and Mabel's rooms. They each had their own room this summer, Ford having built the cabin with their visits in mind. It was a bit of a relief, really. While he loved his sister, having his own space was nice. They were getting a little old to share a room anyway.

Dipper let out a tired sigh at the scene waiting for him when he finally reached his room. The square of starlight from his window shone down on Mable and Waddles, curled up on top of his bed, fast asleep. He trudged over to the bed and put a hand on his sister's arm, gently shaking it and whispering, "Mabel. Mabel." When she didn't respond, he shook a little harder and growled, " _Wake up_ Mabel."

Mabel jolted awake, sitting bolt upright. Looking around the dark room in confusion, she shouted, "Don't trust him! It's a trick!"

Dipper firmly gripped his sister's shoulders, and whispered, "Mabel, it's me, Dipper. It was just a dream."

"Oh, sorry," Mabel said sheepishly, seeming to have woken up a bit. Dropping her voice, she said, "We must have fallen asleep waiting for you."

Dipper looked down and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Sorry about that." After an awkward pause, he added, "So, you're still having those nightmares?"

Mabel looked away. "Sometimes. I thought it was getting better," she said with a tiredness in her voice that had nothing to do with just having woken up.

"Well, tonight probably didn't help," Dipper said, feeling guilty. "I still think you should talk to someone else about what you're going through, I'm not exactly an expert in this kind of thing."

"Oh yeah, I'll just tell some therapist I almost caused the end of the world because a time traveler said I could have more summer," Mabel replied with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

Dipper grimaced, imagining how that would likely end. Trying again, he said, "You could tell Grunkle Stan or Grunkle Ford; they'd understand."

Mabel adjusted herself to sit more comfortably, causing Waddles to stir in his sleep. "Maybe," she said unconvincingly.

There was a brief awkward silence, then Dipper asked, "So, why were you waiting for me?"

Mabel looked at her brother incredulously. "I was worried Dipper; we all were. Where _were_ you? You and Pacifica just ran off and disappeared."

"We just…" Dipper hesitated, not wanting to go into detail about Alice. "Went for a walk, then I took her home. No big deal."

Mabel eyed him suspiciously, but didn't press the issue. "Well you could have told someone you were leaving," she said with a pout.

It dawned on Dipper that he was going to be making a lot of apologies on the next few days. "I'm sorry Mabel. Pacifica just really needed to get out of there. You can understand that, right?"

Mabel looked down and played with the hem of her shirt. "I needed you too."

Dipper's growing guilt caused his heart to ache. Trying to make excuses to himself as much as for Mabel, he said, "Wendy was there, and Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford were at the party."

Mable sniffed and tears started to work their way down her cheeks. "They're not you Dipper."

Dipper understood. He was the only one she had told about her guilt over Bill. He should have been there for her, but then he couldn't have helped Pacifica. What was he supposed to do? He reached over and put a hand on his sister's arm. "Mabel, I'm sorry I wasn't there. I just— Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Is she okay?"

"What?" Dipper asked, utterly lost.

Mabel wiped the tears from her eyes, their tracks still visible on her cheeks in the starlight. In a concerned voice she asked, "Pacifica, is she okay? I mean that girl said everyone hated her because her dad made a deal with... you know."

Dipper shook his head in confusion. "I thought you were mad at me for leaving with Pacifica."

Mabel cocked her head to the side. "Well, yeah, but I guess maybe not that much? I mean I _definitely_ wanted you there, but if it's my fault—"

"It's _not_ your fault."

"—then I guess it's better you were with her. Is it really as bad as she said? Does everyone hate Pacifica because of me?"

Dipper took a moment to collect his thoughts. After weighing his options, he decided to be honest. Mabel would find out eventually anyway. "It's not because of you, but, yeah, Pacifica hasn't had the easiest year."

Mabel got a determined look on her face and slammed her fist into her palm. "Okay, new summer project: make Pacifica popular again."

Dipper couldn't help but start laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mabel asked, sounding a bit offended. "I'm serious Dipper."

Dipper managed to get his laughter mostly under control and explained, "I believe you. It's just, I said the exact same thing when I promised to help Pacifica."

"What's going on with you two anyway?" Mabel asked, regaining some of her normal manner. "Sneaking around the mansion together, running after her when she gets hurt, walking her home; it's almost like…" A wide grin spread across Mabel's face. "You _like_ her don't you?"

Dipper blushed and laughed nervously. Completely unconvincingly, he stammered, "What? No way. I mean, come on, it's _Pacifica_." When his sister crossed her arms and gave him a look of disbelief, Dipper admitted, "Okay, so maybe I like her a little, but it's not a big deal." When Mabel continued to stare, he broke down and said, "Fine, I like her a lot. I mean, yeah, she's beautiful, but it's more than that. There's just something about her, you know?"

Mabel was practically vibrating on the bed. "Oh my gosh, this is so great! This totally explains why you ran after her. It's so romantic! So, are you two, like, dating?"

"I'm… not sure," Dipper admitted, scratching the back of his head. "She said I belonged to her and kissed me on the cheek, but we didn't exactly talk about our relationship status."

"Dipper, that's _totally_ mean girl for "we're dating", not that Pacifica's a mean girl anymore. You have to call her tomorrow and ask her out on a real date."

Dipper fished his phone out of his pocket—their parents had finally gotten them phones since they would be starting high school in the fall—and stared at it. "She _did_ give me her number."

"Totally dating," Mabel reiterated. "I'm _so_ jealous."

Dipper let out a loud yawn and looked down at the clock on his phone. It was past one. "Mabel, as much fun as it is to discuss my love life with you, I'd like to get some sleep before Stan and Ford ground me forever."

Mabel bit her lip and looked up at Dipper. "Can we sleep here? Just for tonight, I promise."

Dipper felt the guilt from earlier creep back. He let out an exasperated sigh, and said, "Waddles would probably wake up Stan and Ford anyway. I'll get my sleeping bag."

* * *

 **Hey,**

 **As you may notice, Mabel is not the easiest character for me to write, especially since I'm taking her further away from canon. Hopefully it comes off okay.**

 **I realize these "chapters" are short, which is because they really should be scenes and not chapters. Unfortunately, if I waited until I wrote a whole chapter (I write slow to start with, and I'm very busy at the moment) you'd never get an update. I'll probably go back and fix it if I ever finish this. If you're curious, I would probably consider this the end of the first chapter.**

 **Anyway, enough beating myself up. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please continue to do so. Hope you enjoyed yourself!**


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